Damien Coles f172d00514 Initial release: Declarative AD Framework v2.1.0

Infrastructure-as-code framework for Active Directory objects and Group Policy.
Sanitized from production deployment for public sharing.

2026-02-19 17:02:42 +00:00

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Framework Reference

Developer reference for extending the declarative-ad-framework infrastructure-as-code framework. For day-to-day operations, see README.md.

Architecture

The framework follows a declarative definitions + idempotent orchestration pattern:

Definition files (ous.ps1, groups.ps1, users.ps1, delegations.ps1, password-policies.ps1, settings.ps1) are pure data. They return PowerShell hashtables or arrays describing desired state. No logic, no side effects.
Orchestration scripts (Apply-ADBaseline.ps1, Apply-GPOBaseline.ps1) consume definitions and converge reality to match. They accept -TestOnly for read-only drift detection.
Helper libraries (ADHelper.ps1, GPOHelper.ps1 + modules) contain the Ensure-* and Compare-* functions that do the actual work.

There are two independent subsystems:

Subsystem	Directory	Orchestrator	Helper	Scope
AD Objects	`ad-objects/`	`Apply-ADBaseline.ps1`	`lib/ADHelper.ps1` (loader + 6 modules)	OUs, groups, users, delegation ACLs, password policies (PSOs)
AD Hygiene	`ad-objects/`	`Get-StaleADObjects.ps1`	(standalone)	Stale accounts, orphans, unmanaged objects, pending credentials
GPO Settings	`gpo/`	`Apply-GPOBaseline.ps1`	`lib/GPOHelper.ps1` (loader + 12 modules)	GPO security policy, registry, links, permissions, scripts, audit, preferences, WMI filters, backup, firewall, AppLocker, WDAC, folder redirection
GPO Audit	`gpo/`	`Get-UnmanagedGPOs.ps1`	(standalone)	Discovers orphan GPOs and framework GPOs not yet created in AD

Both work from any domain-joined machine with RSAT installed. Only Apply-DscBaseline.ps1 (DC compliance validation) requires execution on the domain controller itself.

Single Source of Truth

DSC configurations (DefaultDomainPolicy.ps1, DefaultDCPolicy.ps1) read directly from the same settings.ps1 files used by Apply-GPOBaseline.ps1. Values are transformed from GptTmpl.inf format into DSC format (SIDs to NTAccount names, registry DWORD strings to integers, etc.) -- never duplicated.

Auto-Discovery vs Fixed Loading

GPOs are auto-discovered at runtime:

$gpoDirs = Get-ChildItem -Path $ScriptRoot -Directory |
    Where-Object { Test-Path (Join-Path $_.FullName 'settings.ps1') }

Adding a new GPO requires only creating a directory with a settings.ps1. No registration, no manifest, no edits to the orchestration script.

AD objects are loaded from known file paths (ous.ps1, groups.ps1, etc.) because the set of AD object types is fixed, while the number of GPOs can grow.

The Ensure/Compare Pattern

Every managed object type has a paired set of functions:

Ensure-*: Idempotent apply. Checks current state, creates if missing, updates if different, skips if correct. Writes status to console: [CREATED], [UPDATED], [OK].
Compare-*: Read-only drift detection. Returns an array of diff objects describing differences, or empty/null if no drift. Used by -TestOnly mode.

Function Pairs

Object Type	Ensure	Compare	Library
Organizational Unit	`Ensure-ADOU`	`Compare-ADOU`	ADOrganizationalUnit.ps1
Security Group	`Ensure-ADSecurityGroup`	`Compare-ADSecurityGroup`	ADGroup.ps1
User Account	`Ensure-ADUserAccount`	`Compare-ADUserAccount`	ADUser.ps1
OU Delegation (ACLs)	`Ensure-OUDelegation`	`Compare-OUDelegation`	ADDelegation.ps1
Password Policy (PSO)	`Ensure-ADPasswordPolicy`	`Compare-ADPasswordPolicy`	ADPasswordPolicy.ps1
Security Policy	`Set-GPOSecurityPolicy`	`Compare-GPOSecurityPolicy`	GPOPolicy.ps1
Registry Settings	`Set-GPORegistrySettings`	`Compare-GPORegistrySettings`	GPOPolicy.ps1
GPO Link	`Ensure-GPOLink`	`Compare-GPOLink`	GPOPermissions.ps1
Management Permission	`Ensure-GPOManagementPermission`	`Compare-GPOManagementPermission`	GPOPermissions.ps1
Security Filtering	`Ensure-GPOSecurityFiltering`	`Compare-GPOSecurityFiltering`	GPOPermissions.ps1
Scripts	`Set-GPOScripts`	`Compare-GPOScripts`	GPOScripts.ps1
Advanced Audit Policy	`Set-GPOAdvancedAuditPolicy`	`Compare-GPOAdvancedAuditPolicy`	GPOAudit.ps1
Preferences	`Set-GPOPreferences`	`Compare-GPOPreferences`	GPOPreferences.ps1
WMI Filter	`Ensure-GPOWmiFilter`	`Compare-GPOWmiFilter`	GPOWmiFilter.ps1
GPO Status	`Ensure-GPOStatus`	`Compare-GPOStatus`	GPOCore.ps1
Restricted Groups	`ConvertTo-RestrictedGroupEntries`	(merged into SecurityPolicy)	GPOPolicy.ps1
GPO Backup	`Backup-GPOState` / `Restore-GPOState`	`Get-GPOBackups`	GPOBackup.ps1
ILT Filters	`ConvertTo-ILTFilterXml`	(generated on every apply)	GPOPreferences.ps1
Firewall Rules	`Set-GPOFirewall`	`Compare-GPOFirewall`	GPOFirewall.ps1
Firewall Profiles	`Set-GPOFirewallProfiles`	`Compare-GPOFirewallProfiles`	GPOFirewall.ps1
AppLocker Policy	`Set-GPOAppLockerPolicy`	`Compare-GPOAppLockerPolicy`	GPOAppLocker.ps1
WDAC Policy	`Set-GPOWdacPolicy`	`Compare-GPOWdacPolicy`	GPOWdac.ps1
Folder Redirection	`Set-GPOFolderRedirection`	`Compare-GPOFolderRedirection`	GPOFolderRedirection.ps1

Diff Object Format

Compare functions return objects with properties that describe the drift:

# Security policy diff
@{ Section = 'Event Audit'; Setting = 'AuditLogonEvents'; Current = '1'; Desired = '3' }

# Registry setting diff
@{ Key = 'HKLM\Software\...'; ValueName = 'MaxSize'; Current = 32768; Desired = 65536 }

Self-Healing Permissions

Apply-GPOBaseline.ps1 ensures that every group in $ManagementGroups (default: MasterAdmins) has GpoEditDeleteModifySecurity permission on every managed GPO. This runs on every invocation, not just on GPO creation. If someone manually removes MasterAdmins' permission, the next run restores it.

Bootstrap requirement: The first run must be executed as the built-in Administrator (Domain Admins) to grant MasterAdmins the initial permissions. After that, MasterAdmins is self-maintaining and Domain Admins membership is never needed for day-to-day operations.

Overwrite Semantics

The framework is declarative: the settings files define the complete desired state. However, different setting types have different overwrite behavior:

Setting Type	Behavior	Implication
SecurityPolicy	Full overwrite	Regenerates entire GptTmpl.inf. Undeclared settings are removed.
RegistrySettings	Full overwrite (with cleanup)	Sets declared values via `Set-GPRegistryValue`, then removes stale values under managed keys. Use `-NoCleanup` to opt out.
Scripts	Full overwrite	Regenerates ini files per scope. Undeclared scripts lose their registration (files remain in SYSVOL but are not executed).
AdvancedAuditPolicy	Full overwrite	Regenerates entire audit.csv. Undeclared subcategories are removed.
Preferences	Full overwrite	Regenerates entire XML per type/scope. Undeclared items are removed.
RestrictedGroups	Full overwrite	Merged into SecurityPolicy [Group Membership]. Subject to SecurityPolicy's full-overwrite behavior.
WMIFilter	Additive	Creates/updates the filter and links it. Removing the key from settings.ps1 leaves the link in place.
FirewallRules	Full overwrite	Removes all existing rules, then creates declared rules.
FirewallProfiles	Additive	Sets declared profile values. Undeclared profiles/values are not touched.
AppLockerPolicy	Full overwrite	Replaces entire AppLocker policy via `Set-AppLockerPolicy`.
WDACPolicy	Full overwrite	Replaces SIPolicy.p7b and registry pointer.
FolderRedirection	Full overwrite	Regenerates entire fdeploy1.ini. Undeclared folders are removed.

Practical implication: If you remove a setting from settings.ps1, it disappears from the GPO on the next apply for all types. SecurityPolicy, Scripts, AdvancedAuditPolicy, and Preferences regenerate their SYSVOL files entirely. RegistrySettings removes stale values under managed keys (any key path that appears in settings.ps1). Use -NoCleanup to preserve stale registry values during transition periods.

Version Bumping

When SYSVOL files are written directly (SecurityPolicy, Scripts, AdvancedAuditPolicy, Preferences), the GPO version must be incremented so clients re-process the policy. The version number is a packed 32-bit integer:

Upper 16 bits: user configuration version
Lower 16 bits: machine configuration version

The orchestrator tracks which scopes were modified during a GPO's processing and bumps the appropriate half once at the end. This avoids multiple increments per apply and correctly tracks which scope changed. Registry settings are exempt because Set-GPRegistryValue handles version bumping internally.

Console Output Conventions

All orchestration scripts use consistent color coding:

Color	Tags	Meaning
Green	`[OK]`	Object/setting is in desired state
Yellow	`[CREATED]`, `[UPDATED]`, `[GRANTED]`	Change was made
Red	`[DRIFT]`, `[MISSING]`	Out of desired state (TestOnly)
Magenta	`ACTION REQUIRED`, `WARNING`	Operator attention needed

GPO Definition Format

Each GPO lives in its own directory under gpo/ and must contain a settings.ps1 that returns a hashtable.

Naming Conventions

GPO names: <Target>-<Number> pattern (e.g., Admins-01, Workstations-01, Servers-01). The number allows multiple GPOs per target in the future.
Directory names: Lowercase-with-hyphens matching the GPO name (e.g., admins-01/, default-domain-controller/).

settings.ps1 Contract

The file is invoked with & $settingsPath and must return a hashtable with these keys:

Key	Type	Required	Description
`GPOName`	String	Yes	Display name in AD (e.g., `'Workstations-01'`)
`Description`	String	No	GPMC description/comment. Displayed in the GPO console and helps prevent manual edits.
`LinkTo`	String, Hashtable, Array, or `$null`	No	Target OU. String for simple links, hashtable/array for order + enforcement (see below). `$null` for default GPOs.
`SecurityPolicy`	Hashtable	No	GptTmpl.inf sections (see below)
`RegistrySettings`	Array	No	Registry value definitions (see below)
`SecurityFiltering`	Hashtable	No	Contains `DenyApply` -- array of group names
`Scripts`	Hashtable	No	Startup/shutdown/logon/logoff scripts (see below)
`AdvancedAuditPolicy`	Hashtable	No	Subcategory-level audit settings (see below)
`Preferences`	Hashtable	No	GPP items: 10 types including ScheduledTasks, DriveMaps, Printers, Shortcuts, Files, NetworkShares, RegistryItems, LocalUsersAndGroups (see below)
`FirewallRules`	Array	No	Windows Firewall rules (see below)
`FirewallProfiles`	Hashtable	No	Firewall profile settings for Domain/Private/Public (see below)
`AppLockerPolicy`	Hashtable	No	AppLocker rule collections and enforcement modes (see below)
`WDACPolicy`	Hashtable	No	WDAC policy file deployment (see below)
`FolderRedirection`	Hashtable	No	User folder redirection paths (see below)
`RestrictedGroups`	Hashtable	No	Local group membership control via GptTmpl.inf [Group Membership] (see below)
`WMIFilter`	Hashtable	No	WMI filter definition and GPO link (see below)
`DisableUserConfiguration`	Bool	No	Disable the User Configuration section of the GPO (default: `$false`)
`DisableComputerConfiguration`	Bool	No	Disable the Computer Configuration section of the GPO (default: `$false`)

Dynamic code is allowed before the return hashtable. Use this for SID resolution:

# Resolve at evaluation time -- never hardcode SIDs
$masterAdminsSID = (Get-ADGroup -Identity 'MasterAdmins').SID.Value

@{
    GPOName = 'Default Domain Controllers Policy'
    SecurityPolicy = @{
        'Privilege Rights' = [ordered]@{
            SeRemoteInteractiveLogonRight = "*S-1-5-32-544,*$masterAdminsSID"
        }
    }
}

SecurityPolicy Sections

SecurityPolicy is a hashtable of hashtables, keyed by GptTmpl.inf section name:

System Access

Password policy, lockout policy, and account settings. Values are integers or strings.

'System Access' = [ordered]@{
    MinimumPasswordAge      = 1       # Days
    MaximumPasswordAge      = 42      # Days
    MinimumPasswordLength   = 7       # Characters
    PasswordComplexity      = 1       # 1=Enabled
    PasswordHistorySize     = 24      # Previous passwords remembered
    LockoutBadCount         = 5       # Failed attempts before lockout (0=disabled!)
    ResetLockoutCount       = 30      # Minutes before counter resets
    LockoutDuration         = 30      # Minutes locked
    EnableGuestAccount      = 0       # 0=Disabled
}

Kerberos Policy

Only effective in the Default Domain Policy (domain-level GPO).

'Kerberos Policy' = [ordered]@{
    MaxTicketAge         = 10     # TGT lifetime in hours
    MaxRenewAge          = 7      # TGT max renewal in days
    MaxServiceAge        = 600    # Service ticket lifetime in minutes
    MaxClockSkew         = 5      # Max clock difference in minutes
    TicketValidateClient = 1      # 1=Enabled
}

Event Audit

Legacy audit categories. Values: 0=None, 1=Success, 2=Failure, 3=Success+Failure.

'Event Audit' = [ordered]@{
    AuditSystemEvents    = 3    # Success + Failure
    AuditLogonEvents     = 3    # Success + Failure
    AuditObjectAccess    = 2    # Failure only
    AuditPrivilegeUse    = 2    # Failure only
    AuditPolicyChange    = 1    # Success only
    AuditAccountManage   = 3    # Success + Failure
    AuditProcessTracking = 0    # None
    AuditDSAccess        = 0    # None (irrelevant unless DC)
    AuditAccountLogon    = 3    # Success + Failure
}

Registry Values (Security Options)

Security options stored in GptTmpl.inf. Format: 'MACHINE\registry\path' = 'type,value'.

Type codes: 4=REG_DWORD, 1=REG_SZ, 7=REG_MULTI_SZ.

'Registry Values' = [ordered]@{
    'MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\InactivityTimeoutSecs' = '4,900'
    'MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\DontDisplayLastUserName' = '4,1'
    'MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\DisableCAD' = '4,0'
}

Privilege Rights

User rights assignments. Trustees listed as *SID with asterisk prefix, comma-separated.

'Privilege Rights' = [ordered]@{
    SeRemoteInteractiveLogonRight = "*S-1-5-32-544,*$masterAdminsSID"
        # Administrators, MasterAdmins
    SeBackupPrivilege = '*S-1-5-32-549,*S-1-5-32-551,*S-1-5-32-544'
        # Server Operators, Backup Operators, Administrators
}

RegistrySettings Format

Administrative Template settings applied via Set-GPRegistryValue. Each entry is a hashtable with four required keys:

Key	Type	Description
`Key`	String	Registry path. `HKLM\...` for Computer Configuration, `HKCU\...` for User Configuration
`ValueName`	String	Registry value name
`Type`	String	`DWord`, `String`, `ExpandString`, or `MultiString`
`Value`	Mixed	The value to set (integer for DWord, string for String types)

RegistrySettings = @(
    @{
        Key       = 'HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\PowerShell\ScriptBlockLogging'
        ValueName = 'EnableScriptBlockLogging'
        Type      = 'DWord'
        Value     = 1
    }
    @{
        Key       = 'HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\PowerShell\Transcription'
        ValueName = 'OutputDirectory'
        Type      = 'String'
        Value     = 'C:\PSlogs\Transcripts'
    }
)

SecurityFiltering

Deny Apply prevents a group from receiving the GPO even if they're in the linked OU.

SecurityFiltering = @{
    DenyApply = @('DelegatedAdmins')
}

Implementation note: this is applied as a raw AD ACL (Deny ACE for the Apply-Group-Policy extended right), not via Set-GPPermission, which was found to be unreliable for deny entries.

Scripts Format

Scripts deploys files to SYSVOL and generates the psscripts.ini / scripts.ini registration files. Supported types:

Key	SYSVOL Path	Runs As
`MachineStartup`	`Machine\Scripts\Startup\`	SYSTEM at boot
`MachineShutdown`	`Machine\Scripts\Shutdown\`	SYSTEM at shutdown
`UserLogon`	`User\Scripts\Logon\`	User at logon
`UserLogoff`	`User\Scripts\Logoff\`	User at logoff

Each entry has two keys:

Key	Type	Description
`Source`	String	File path relative to the GPO directory (e.g., `'Install-RSAT.ps1'`)
`Parameters`	String	Command-line parameters (empty string for none)

.ps1 files are registered in psscripts.ini, all others (.bat, .cmd, .exe) in scripts.ini. Both ini files live in the scope's Scripts\ directory (e.g., Machine\Scripts\psscripts.ini) and contain sections for each script type ([Startup], [Shutdown], [Logon], [Logoff]).

The framework automatically:

Copies script files from the repo to the correct SYSVOL location
Generates ini files with numbered entries (UTF-16LE encoding)
Registers the Script CSE GUID ({42B5FAAE-6536-11D2-AE5A-0000F87571E3}) in the GPO's extension attributes
Bumps the GPO version

Scripts = @{
    MachineStartup = @(
        @{
            Source     = 'Install-RSAT.ps1'
            Parameters = ''
        }
    )
    MachineShutdown = @(
        @{
            Source     = 'Cleanup.bat'
            Parameters = '/silent'
        }
    )
}

Compare mode checks: script file existence in SYSVOL, content hash match (SHA256), and ini file presence.

AdvancedAuditPolicy Format

Subcategory-level audit control (replaces the 9 legacy Event Audit categories with 53+ subcategories). Written to Machine\Microsoft\Windows NT\Audit\audit.csv in SYSVOL.

A GPO can have both Event Audit (legacy SecurityPolicy) and AdvancedAuditPolicy. When both are present, Advanced Audit takes precedence on the client (standard Windows behavior).

Valid values: 'Success and Failure', 'Success', 'Failure', 'No Auditing'

AdvancedAuditPolicy = @{
    # Account Logon
    'Credential Validation'              = 'Success and Failure'
    'Kerberos Authentication Service'    = 'Success and Failure'
    'Kerberos Service Ticket Operations' = 'Success and Failure'

    # Logon/Logoff
    'Logon'                              = 'Success and Failure'
    'Logoff'                             = 'Success'
    'Account Lockout'                    = 'Success'
    'Special Logon'                      = 'Success and Failure'

    # Object Access
    'File System'                        = 'Success and Failure'
    'Registry'                           = 'Success and Failure'
    'File Share'                         = 'Success and Failure'

    # Detailed Tracking
    'Process Creation'                   = 'Success and Failure'
    'Process Termination'                = 'Success'

    # Policy Change
    'Audit Policy Change'                = 'Success and Failure'
    'Authentication Policy Change'       = 'Success'

    # Account Management
    'User Account Management'            = 'Success and Failure'
    'Security Group Management'          = 'Success and Failure'

    # DS Access (DCs only)
    'Directory Service Access'           = 'Success and Failure'
    'Directory Service Changes'          = 'Success and Failure'
}

Subcategory names must match the keys in $Script:AuditSubcategoryGuid (GPOAudit.ps1). Unknown subcategories produce a [WARN] and are skipped. The full list of 53 supported subcategories is defined in the lookup table, organized by category: System, Logon/Logoff, Object Access, Privilege Use, Detailed Tracking, Policy Change, Account Management, DS Access, Account Logon.

The framework automatically:

Generates audit.csv with subcategory GUIDs and numeric setting values
Writes as UTF-8 with BOM (audit.csv uses UTF-8, unlike GptTmpl.inf which uses UTF-16LE)
Registers the Audit Policy CSE GUID ({F3BC9527-C350-4C90-861C-1EC90034520B}) in extension attributes
Bumps the GPO version

Preferences Format

Group Policy Preferences (GPP) allow configuring items that aren't part of traditional policy. Ten types are supported:

ScheduledTasks

Key	Type	Required	Description
`Name`	String	Yes	Task display name
`Action`	String	Yes	`Create`, `Replace`, `Update`, or `Delete`
`Command`	String	Yes	Executable path (e.g., `'powershell.exe'`)
`Arguments`	String	No	Command-line arguments
`RunAs`	String	No	Account to run as (default: `'NT AUTHORITY\System'`)
`Trigger`	String	No	`AtStartup` (default), `AtLogon`
`Scope`	String	No	`Machine` (default) or `User`

DriveMaps

Always User scope. Written to User\Preferences\Drives\Drives.xml.

Key	Type	Required	Description
`Letter`	String	Yes	Drive letter (e.g., `'Z'`)
`Path`	String	Yes	UNC path (e.g., `'\\server\share'`)
`Label`	String	No	Drive label shown in Explorer
`Action`	String	Yes	`Create`, `Replace`, `Update`, or `Delete`
`Reconnect`	Bool	No	Reconnect at logon (`$true`/`$false`)

EnvironmentVariables

Key	Type	Required	Description
`Name`	String	Yes	Variable name
`Value`	String	Yes	Variable value
`Action`	String	Yes	`Create`, `Replace`, `Update`, or `Delete`
`Scope`	String	No	`Machine` (default) or `User`

Services

Always Machine scope. Written to Machine\Preferences\Services\Services.xml.

Key	Type	Required	Description
`ServiceName`	String	Yes	Windows service name (e.g., `'Spooler'`)
`StartupType`	String	Yes	`Automatic`, `Manual`, or `Disabled`
`Action`	String	Yes	`Create`, `Replace`, `Update`, or `Delete`

Printers

Always User scope. Written to User\Preferences\Printers\Printers.xml.

Key	Type	Required	Description
`Path`	String	Yes	UNC path to shared printer (e.g., `'\\printserver\LaserJet'`)
`Action`	String	Yes	`Create`, `Replace`, `Update`, or `Delete`
`Default`	Bool	No	Set as default printer
`SkipLocal`	Bool	No	Skip if local printer attached
`Comment`	String	No	Printer comment
`Location`	String	No	Printer location string

Shortcuts

Key	Type	Required	Description
`Name`	String	Yes	Shortcut display name
`TargetType`	String	No	`URL`, `FILESYSTEM` (default), or `SHELL`
`TargetPath`	String	Yes	Target URL or file path
`ShortcutPath`	String	Yes	Where to create the shortcut (e.g., `'%DesktopDir%\IT Help Desk'`)
`Action`	String	Yes	`Create`, `Replace`, `Update`, or `Delete`
`Scope`	String	No	`User` (default) or `Machine`
`Arguments`	String	No	Command-line arguments
`StartIn`	String	No	Working directory
`Comment`	String	No	Shortcut comment
`IconPath`	String	No	Icon file path
`IconIndex`	Int	No	Icon index (default: 0)

Files

Key	Type	Required	Description
`FromPath`	String	Yes	Source file path (UNC or local)
`TargetPath`	String	Yes	Destination file path
`Action`	String	Yes	`Create`, `Replace`, `Update`, or `Delete`
`Scope`	String	No	`Machine` (default) or `User`
`ReadOnly`	Bool	No	Set read-only attribute
`Hidden`	Bool	No	Set hidden attribute

NetworkShares

Always Machine scope. Written to Machine\Preferences\NetworkShares\NetworkShares.xml.

Key	Type	Required	Description
`Name`	String	Yes	Share name
`Path`	String	Yes	Local folder path to share
`Action`	String	Yes	`Create`, `Replace`, `Update`, or `Delete`
`Comment`	String	No	Share comment
`AllRegular`	String	No	Default share permissions (e.g., `'READ'`)
`AllHidden`	String	No	Hidden share permissions
`AllAdminDrive`	String	No	Admin share permissions
`LimitUsers`	Int	No	Max concurrent users (0 = unlimited)

RegistryItems (GPP)

GPP Registry items -- distinct from RegistrySettings (Administrative Templates). These provide finer control (action modes, ILT targeting) but are processed by the GPP CSE rather than the Registry CSE.

Key	Type	Required	Description
`Hive`	String	Yes	`HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE` or `HKEY_CURRENT_USER`
`Key`	String	Yes	Registry key path (no hive prefix)
`Name`	String	No	Value name (empty = default value)
`Type`	String	No	`REG_SZ` (default), `REG_DWORD`, `REG_BINARY`, etc.
`Value`	String	No	Value data
`Action`	String	Yes	`Create`, `Replace`, `Update`, or `Delete`
`Scope`	String	No	`Machine` (default) or `User`

LocalUsersAndGroups (GPP)

Always Machine scope. Written to Machine\Preferences\Groups\Groups.xml.

Unlike RestrictedGroups, GPP Local Groups supports ADD/REMOVE individual members without replacing the full membership list. Use RestrictedGroups for security-critical groups (Administrators); use LocalUsersAndGroups for additive membership management.

Key	Type	Required	Description
`GroupName`	String	Yes	Local group name (e.g., `'Remote Desktop Users'`)
`Action`	String	Yes	`Create`, `Replace`, `Update`, or `Delete`
`Members`	Array	No	Array of `@{ Name = '...'; Action = 'ADD' or 'REMOVE' }` entries
`DeleteAllUsers`	Bool	No	Remove all existing user members before applying
`DeleteAllGroups`	Bool	No	Remove all existing group members before applying
`NewName`	String	No	Rename the group
`Description`	String	No	Group description

Member SIDs are resolved at apply time using NTAccount.Translate().

Item-Level Targeting (Filters)

Any GPP item can include an optional Filters array for conditional targeting. Filters control which computers or users receive the item, evaluated client-side during policy processing.

DriveMaps = @(
    @{
        Letter  = 'Z'
        Path    = '\\fileserver\shared'
        Label   = 'Shared'
        Action  = 'Replace'
        Filters = @(
            @{ Type = 'SecurityGroup'; Name = 'EXAMPLE\MasterAdmins' }
        )
    }
)

Supported filter types:

Type	Required Keys	Optional Keys	Description
`SecurityGroup`	`Name`	`Bool`, `Not`, `UserContext`, `PrimaryGroup`, `LocalGroup`	Resolves group to SID at apply time
`OrgUnit`	`Name` (DN)	`Bool`, `Not`	Target OU distinguished name
`Computer`	`Name`	`Bool`, `Not`	NETBIOS computer name
`User`	`Name`	`Bool`, `Not`	NETBIOS user name
`OperatingSystem`	`Name`	`Bool`, `Not`, `Edition`, `Version`	OS type string (e.g., `'Windows 11 Enterprise'`)
`WMI`	`Name`, `Query`	`Bool`, `Not`, `Namespace`	WQL query with display label

Common keys for all filter types:

Key	Default	Description
`Bool`	`'AND'`	Logical operator (`AND` or `OR`) combining with other filters
`Not`	`$false`	Negate the filter result

SecurityGroup names are resolved to SIDs at apply time using NTAccount.Translate() -- never hardcode SIDs. Multiple filters are combined using Boolean logic (AND/OR).

Preferences = @{
    ScheduledTasks = @(
        @{
            Name      = 'Install-RSAT'
            Action    = 'Replace'
            Command   = 'powershell.exe'
            Arguments = '-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File C:\Scripts\Install-RSAT.ps1'
            RunAs     = 'NT AUTHORITY\System'
            Trigger   = 'AtStartup'
            Scope     = 'Machine'
        }
    )
    DriveMaps = @(
        @{
            Letter    = 'Z'
            Path      = '\\fileserver.example.internal\shared'
            Label     = 'Shared Drive'
            Action    = 'Replace'
            Reconnect = $true
        }
    )
    EnvironmentVariables = @(
        @{
            Name   = 'COMPANY_NAME'
            Value  = 'Example Corp'
            Action = 'Replace'
            Scope  = 'Machine'
        }
    )
    Services = @(
        @{
            ServiceName = 'Spooler'
            StartupType = 'Disabled'
            Action      = 'Replace'
        }
    )
}

The framework automatically:

Generates type-specific XML with proper CLSIDs, UIDs, and timestamps
Groups items by scope (Machine/User) and writes to the correct SYSVOL directory
Registers per-type CSE GUIDs in the GPO's extension attributes
Bumps the GPO version

Compare mode checks XML file existence and verifies each desired item is present by name.

RestrictedGroups Format

Controls local group membership on target machines via the [Group Membership] section in GptTmpl.inf. Uses friendly group/account names -- the framework resolves them to SIDs automatically.

RestrictedGroups = @{
    'BUILTIN\Administrators' = @{
        Members = @('EXAMPLE\Domain Admins', 'EXAMPLE\MasterAdmins')
    }
    'BUILTIN\Remote Desktop Users' = @{
        Members  = @('EXAMPLE\MasterAdmins')
        Memberof = @()    # Optional: groups this group should belong to
    }
}

Members: accounts/groups that should be in the target group. Windows enforces this list exactly -- unauthorized members are removed.
Members = @() or omitting Members means "empty the group" (removes all members).
Memberof: optional -- controls which groups the target group belongs to.
SID resolution failure throws a terminating error with a clear message.

Mutually exclusive: Use RestrictedGroups OR SecurityPolicy['Group Membership'], not both. The orchestrator throws an error if both are present.

The RestrictedGroups key is merged into SecurityPolicy before processing, so it follows SecurityPolicy's full-overwrite semantics and triggers a Machine scope version bump.

WMIFilter Format

Declaratively defines WMI filters as AD objects and links them to GPOs. WMI filters are stored in CN=SOM,CN=WMIPolicy,CN=System in AD.

WMIFilter = @{
    Name        = 'Workstations Only'
    Description = 'Targets physical workstations -- not servers or DCs'
    Query       = "SELECT * FROM Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE ProductType = 1"
}

Key	Type	Required	Description
`Name`	String	Yes	Filter display name (must be unique across all GPOs)
`Description`	String	No	Filter description
`Query`	String	Yes	WQL query evaluated on the client

Common WQL queries:

Target	Query
Workstations only	`SELECT * FROM Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE ProductType = 1`
Servers only	`SELECT * FROM Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE ProductType = 3`
Windows 11+	`SELECT * FROM Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE Version LIKE '10.0.2%'`

Shared filters: If two GPOs reference the same filter name, they share the AD object. Both settings.ps1 files must declare identical Name/Query -- the last apply wins if they differ.

WMI filter creation/linking is an AD-only operation (no SYSVOL write, no version bump needed).

FirewallRules Format

Windows Firewall rules managed via Open-NetGPO / New-NetFirewallRule -GPOSession / Save-NetGPO. Full overwrite semantics -- all existing rules are removed and replaced with declared rules.

Key	Type	Required	Description
`DisplayName`	String	Yes	Rule display name (unique identifier)
`Direction`	String	Yes	`Inbound` or `Outbound`
`Action`	String	Yes	`Allow` or `Block`
`Protocol`	String	No	`TCP`, `UDP`, `ICMPv4`, `ICMPv6`, or number
`LocalPort`	String/Array	No	Port(s) or range (e.g., `'80'`, `'80,443'`)
`RemotePort`	String/Array	No	Port(s) or range
`LocalAddress`	String/Array	No	IP addresses
`RemoteAddress`	String/Array	No	IP addresses
`Profile`	String	No	`Domain`, `Private`, `Public`, or `Any`
`Program`	String	No	Executable path
`Enabled`	Bool	No	Default `$true`
`Description`	String	No	Rule description

FirewallRules = @(
    @{
        DisplayName = 'Allow ICMP Echo (Inbound)'
        Direction   = 'Inbound'
        Action      = 'Allow'
        Protocol    = 'ICMPv4'
        Profile     = 'Domain'
    }
    @{
        DisplayName = 'Allow WinRM (Inbound)'
        Direction   = 'Inbound'
        Action      = 'Allow'
        Protocol    = 'TCP'
        LocalPort   = '5985'
        Profile     = 'Domain'
        Program     = 'System'
    }
)

Firewall rules use GPO session cmdlets that handle version bumping internally -- no manual version bump needed.

FirewallProfiles Format

Controls the default behavior for each firewall profile (Domain/Private/Public).

FirewallProfiles = @{
    Domain  = @{ Enabled = $true; DefaultInboundAction = 'Block'; DefaultOutboundAction = 'Allow' }
    Private = @{ Enabled = $true; DefaultInboundAction = 'Block'; DefaultOutboundAction = 'Allow' }
    Public  = @{ Enabled = $true; DefaultInboundAction = 'Block'; DefaultOutboundAction = 'Allow' }
}

Profile settings are applied via Set-GPRegistryValue under HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsFirewall\{DomainProfile|PrivateProfile|PublicProfile}.

AppLockerPolicy Format

Application whitelisting rules organized by collection type. Uses Set-AppLockerPolicy / Get-AppLockerPolicy with -LDAP parameter.

Rule collections: Exe, Msi, Script, Appx, Dll

Each collection has an EnforcementMode (AuditOnly or Enabled) and an array of Rules:

Key	Type	Required	Description
`Type`	String	Yes	`Publisher`, `Path`, or `Hash`
`Action`	String	Yes	`Allow` or `Deny`
`User`	String	Yes	NTAccount name (e.g., `'Everyone'`, `'BUILTIN\Administrators'`)
`Name`	String	No	Rule display name
`Description`	String	No	Rule description

Type-specific keys:

Rule Type	Keys
Publisher	`Publisher`, `Product`, `Binary`, `LowVersion`, `HighVersion`
Path	`Path`
Hash	`Hash`, `FileName`, `SourceFileLength`

AppLockerPolicy = @{
    Exe = @{
        EnforcementMode = 'AuditOnly'
        Rules = @(
            @{
                Type      = 'Publisher'
                Action    = 'Allow'
                User      = 'Everyone'
                Publisher = 'O=MICROSOFT CORPORATION, L=REDMOND, S=WASHINGTON, C=US'
                Product   = '*'
                Binary    = '*'
            }
            @{
                Type   = 'Path'
                Action = 'Allow'
                User   = 'BUILTIN\Administrators'
                Path   = '*'
            }
        )
    }
    Script = @{
        EnforcementMode = 'AuditOnly'
        Rules = @(
            @{
                Type   = 'Path'
                Action = 'Allow'
                User   = 'Everyone'
                Path   = '%WINDIR%\*'
            }
        )
    }
}

AppLocker uses Set-AppLockerPolicy which handles registry writes and CSE registration internally. No manual version bump needed.

WDACPolicy Format

Lightweight WDAC (Windows Defender Application Control) policy deployment. Copies a compiled policy to SYSVOL and sets the registry pointer.

WDACPolicy = @{
    PolicyFile = 'WDACPolicy.xml'    # Path relative to GPO config dir
}

Key	Type	Required	Description
`PolicyFile`	String	Yes	Policy file path relative to the GPO directory. `.xml` files are auto-converted to `.p7b` via `ConvertFrom-CIPolicy`. `.p7b` files are copied directly.

The framework:

Copies/converts the policy to Machine\Microsoft\Windows\DeviceGuard\SIPolicy.p7b in SYSVOL
Sets HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DeviceGuard\DeployConfigCIPolicy = 1 via Set-GPRegistryValue

Compare mode checks registry key presence, .p7b file existence, and file hash.

FolderRedirection Format

Redirects user shell folders (Documents, Desktop, etc.) to network paths. Written to User\Documents & Settings\fdeploy1.ini in SYSVOL. User scope only.

Supported folders: Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos, Favorites, AppDataRoaming, Contacts, Downloads, Links, Searches, StartMenu

Key	Type	Required	Description
`Path`	String	Yes	Redirect target path (supports `%USERNAME%` variable)
`GrantExclusive`	Bool	No	Grant user exclusive rights to the redirected folder
`MoveContents`	Bool	No	Move existing contents to the new location

FolderRedirection = @{
    Documents = @{
        Path            = '\\fileserver\users\%USERNAME%\Documents'
        GrantExclusive  = $true
        MoveContents    = $true
    }
    Desktop = @{
        Path            = '\\fileserver\users\%USERNAME%\Desktop'
        GrantExclusive  = $true
        MoveContents    = $true
    }
}

The framework:

Generates fdeploy1.ini with folder sections (e.g., [.Documents], [.Desktop])
Writes as UTF-16LE encoding (same as GptTmpl.inf)
Registers the Folder Redirection CSE GUID ({25537BA6-77A8-11D2-9B6C-0000F8080861})
Bumps User scope version

GPO Status (Disable Configuration Sections)

Controls which configuration sections of the GPO are active. Useful for machine-only GPOs (disable User Configuration to speed up processing) or temporarily disabling a section.

DisableUserConfiguration     = $true    # Disable User Configuration
DisableComputerConfiguration = $false   # Keep Computer Configuration active

Flags	GpoStatus Value
Both `$false` (default)	`AllSettingsEnabled`
`DisableUserConfiguration = $true`	`UserSettingsDisabled`
`DisableComputerConfiguration = $true`	`ComputerSettingsDisabled`
Both `$true`	`AllSettingsDisabled`

Settings are still written to SYSVOL even when the section is disabled -- they take effect immediately when re-enabled, matching GPMC behavior.

Fully backward compatible: omitting both keys defaults to AllSettingsEnabled.

Link Order and Enforcement

The LinkTo key supports three formats, all backward compatible:

# Format 1: Plain string (original behavior, no order/enforcement management)
LinkTo = 'OU=ExampleUsers,DC=example,DC=internal'

# Format 2: Single hashtable with order and enforcement
LinkTo = @{
    Target   = 'OU=ExampleUsers,DC=example,DC=internal'
    Order    = 1
    Enforced = $false
}

# Format 3: Array for multiple links
LinkTo = @(
    @{ Target = 'OU=ExampleUsers,DC=example,DC=internal'; Order = 1; Enforced = $false }
    @{ Target = 'OU=ExampleWorkstations,DC=example,DC=internal'; Order = 2; Enforced = $true }
)

Key	Type	Required	Default	Description
`Target`	String	Yes	--	OU distinguished name
`Order`	Int or `$null`	No	`$null`	Link precedence (1 = highest). `$null` = do not manage order.
`Enforced`	Bool	No	`$false`	Whether the link is enforced (overrides Block Inheritance)

Backward compatibility: Plain string format (LinkTo = 'OU=...') defaults to Order = $null, Enforced = $false -- identical to previous behavior. Existing settings.ps1 files work without modification.

Backup and Restore

The framework automatically snapshots each GPO's state before applying changes. Backups are stored in gpo/backups/ (gitignored) with a retention limit of 5 per GPO.

Automatic backups: Every Apply-GPOBaseline.ps1 run (non-TestOnly) creates a timestamped backup for each GPO before making changes. Use -NoBackup to skip.

What's captured per backup:

SYSVOL directory tree (GptTmpl.inf, audit.csv, psscripts.ini, scripts.ini, GPP XMLs, script files)
AD attributes: versionNumber, description, gPCMachineExtensionNames, gPCUserExtensionNames, gPCWQLFilter
Metadata: timestamp, admin account, domain, GPO GUID

Listing backups:

.\Restore-GPOBaseline.ps1                        # List all backups
.\Restore-GPOBaseline.ps1 -GPOName 'Admins-01'   # List backups for one GPO

Restoring:

.\Restore-GPOBaseline.ps1 -GPOName 'Admins-01' -Timestamp '20260214-153000'

Restore copies SYSVOL files back, restores AD attributes, and bumps the version to force client reprocessing. After restoring, run Apply-GPOBaseline.ps1 -TestOnly to verify the state, then update settings.ps1 to match the restored state (otherwise the next apply will overwrite the restore).

Complete settings.ps1 Example

# Example-01 -- Settings Declaration
# Linked to: OU=ExampleOU,DC=example,DC=internal

@{
    GPOName     = 'Example-01'
    Description = 'Example policy -- managed by declarative-ad-framework, do not edit manually'
    LinkTo      = 'OU=ExampleOU,DC=example,DC=internal'

    SecurityPolicy = @{
        'System Access' = [ordered]@{
            EnableGuestAccount = 0
        }
        'Event Audit' = [ordered]@{
            AuditSystemEvents  = 3
            AuditLogonEvents   = 3
            AuditAccountLogon  = 3
        }
        'Registry Values' = [ordered]@{
            'MACHINE\...\InactivityTimeoutSecs' = '4,900'
        }
    }

    RegistrySettings = @(
        @{
            Key       = 'HKLM\Software\Policies\...'
            ValueName = 'EnableFeature'
            Type      = 'DWord'
            Value     = 1
        }
    )

    SecurityFiltering = @{
        DenyApply = @('ExemptGroup')
    }

    Scripts = @{
        MachineStartup = @(
            @{
                Source     = 'Install-RSAT.ps1'
                Parameters = ''
            }
        )
    }

    AdvancedAuditPolicy = @{
        'Credential Validation' = 'Success and Failure'
        'Logon'                 = 'Success and Failure'
        'Process Creation'      = 'Success and Failure'
    }

    RestrictedGroups = @{
        'BUILTIN\Administrators' = @{
            Members = @('EXAMPLE\Domain Admins', 'EXAMPLE\MasterAdmins')
        }
    }

    WMIFilter = @{
        Name        = 'Workstations Only'
        Description = 'Targets physical workstations only'
        Query       = "SELECT * FROM Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE ProductType = 1"
    }

    DisableUserConfiguration = $true

    Preferences = @{
        Services = @(
            @{
                ServiceName = 'Spooler'
                StartupType = 'Disabled'
                Action      = 'Replace'
                Filters     = @(
                    @{ Type = 'OperatingSystem'; Name = 'Windows Server 2025' }
                )
            }
        )
        Printers = @(
            @{
                Path   = '\\printserver\LaserJet'
                Action = 'Replace'
                Default = $true
            }
        )
    }

    FirewallRules = @(
        @{
            DisplayName = 'Allow WinRM (Inbound)'
            Direction   = 'Inbound'
            Action      = 'Allow'
            Protocol    = 'TCP'
            LocalPort   = '5985'
            Profile     = 'Domain'
        }
    )

    FirewallProfiles = @{
        Domain = @{ Enabled = $true; DefaultInboundAction = 'Block'; DefaultOutboundAction = 'Allow' }
    }
}

AD Object Definition Files

All definition files live under ad-objects/ and return arrays of hashtables.

ous.ps1

$domainDN = 'DC=example,DC=internal'

@(
    @{
        Name        = 'ExampleUsers'          # OU name (creates OU=ExampleUsers,...)
        Path        = $domainDN                 # Parent container DN
        Description = 'Standard user accounts'  # Optional description
    }
)

groups.ps1

@(
    @{
        Name        = 'MasterAdmins'
        Path        = 'OU=ExampleAdmins,DC=example,DC=internal'
        Scope       = 'Global'                  # Global, DomainLocal, or Universal
        Description = 'Master administrators'
        Members     = @('t0admin')             # SamAccountNames to sync
    }
)

Members are reconciled in a separate pass (Step 4) after users are created in Step 3.

users.ps1

@(
    @{
        SamAccountName = 't0admin'
        Name           = 'Tier Zero Admin'        # Display name
        GivenName      = 'Tier'
        Surname        = 'Admin'
        Path           = 'OU=ExampleAdmins,DC=example,DC=internal'
        Enabled        = $true
        MemberOf       = @('MasterAdmins', 'Administrators', 'Group Policy Creator Owners')
        Description    = 'Tier 0 master admin'       # Optional AD properties
        Title          = 'Master Administrator'
        Department     = 'IT'
    }
)

Core keys (SamAccountName, Name, GivenName, Surname, Path, Enabled, MemberOf) are explicit parameters. All other keys are treated as optional AD properties and passed through a -Properties hashtable to Set-ADUser -Replace (for existing users) or merged into the New-ADUser splat (for new users).

New users get a CSPRNG password saved to .credentials/<SamAccountName>.txt. See Credential Handling.

delegations.ps1

$domainDN = 'DC=example,DC=internal'

@(
    @{
        GroupName  = 'MasterAdmins'
        TargetOUs  = @(
            "OU=ExampleUsers,$domainDN"
            "OU=ExampleServers,$domainDN"
        )
        Rights     = 'FullControl'              # Single string for simple cases
    }
    @{
        GroupName  = 'DelegatedAdmins'
        TargetOUs  = @("OU=ExampleUsers,$domainDN")
        Rights     = @(                         # Array for granular rights
            'ListContents'
            'ReadAllProperties'
            'ResetPassword'
            'ReadWriteProperty:userAccountControl'
            'ReadWriteProperty:lockoutTime'
            'ReadWriteProperty:displayName'
        )
    }
)

Rights Syntax

Token	AD Translation	Scope
`FullControl`	`GenericAll`	OU and all descendants
`ListContents`	`ListChildren`	OU itself
`ReadAllProperties`	`ReadProperty` (all)	OU itself
`ResetPassword`	Extended right `00299570-246d-11d0-a768-00aa006e0529`	Descendant user objects
`ReadWriteProperty:<attr>`	`ReadProperty` + `WriteProperty` on specific attribute GUID	Descendant user objects

Supported attributes for ReadWriteProperty: userAccountControl, lockoutTime, displayName, givenName, sn, mail, telephoneNumber, description. To add more, add the attribute's schema GUID to $Script:ADAttributeGuid in ADDelegation.ps1.

Dependency Ordering

AD Objects (Apply-ADBaseline.ps1)

Step 1: OUs           -- must exist before groups/users can be placed in them
Step 2: Groups         -- created WITHOUT members (users may not exist yet)
Step 3: Users          -- created with MemberOf (adds user to groups)
Step 4: Membership     -- second pass on groups, reconciles Members lists
Step 5: Delegations    -- ACLs applied last (groups and OUs must exist)
Step 6: Password Policies -- PSOs linked to groups (groups must exist)

The two-pass group membership sync is a deliberate design choice. Groups are created in Step 2 without members because the users listed in Members may not exist yet (they're created in Step 3). Step 4 does the full reconciliation after all users exist.

GPO Settings (Apply-GPOBaseline.ps1)

Per GPO, processed in this order:

 1. Create GPO if missing        (New-GPO)
 2. Description                  ($gpo.Description)
 3. GPO status                   (Ensure-GPOStatus -> gPCOptions)
 4. Pre-apply backup             (Backup-GPOState -> gpo/backups/)
 5. Management permissions       (Ensure-GPOManagementPermission)
 6. Restricted groups merge      (ConvertTo-RestrictedGroupEntries -> SecurityPolicy)
 7. Security policy              (Set-GPOSecurityPolicy -> GptTmpl.inf)
 8. Registry settings            (Set-GPORegistrySettings -> Set-GPRegistryValue, cleanup stale)
 9. GPO link(s)                  (Ensure-GPOLink -> New-GPLink / Set-GPLink)
10. Security filtering           (Ensure-GPOSecurityFiltering)
11. WMI filter                   (Ensure-GPOWmiFilter -> AD msWMI-Som object)
12. Scripts                      (Set-GPOScripts -> SYSVOL copy + psscripts.ini)
13. Advanced audit policy        (Set-GPOAdvancedAuditPolicy -> audit.csv)
14. Preferences                  (Set-GPOPreferences -> GPP XML files)
15. Firewall profiles            (Set-GPOFirewallProfiles -> registry values)
16. Firewall rules               (Set-GPOFirewall -> Open-NetGPO session)
17. AppLocker policy             (Set-GPOAppLockerPolicy -> Set-AppLockerPolicy -LDAP)
18. WDAC policy                  (Set-GPOWdacPolicy -> SYSVOL .p7b + registry)
19. Folder redirection           (Set-GPOFolderRedirection -> fdeploy1.ini)

GPOs are independent of each other and processed in filesystem order (whatever Get-ChildItem returns).

How-To Recipes

Adding a New GPO

Create directory: gpo/<name>/
Create gpo/<name>/settings.ps1 returning the standard hashtable (see GPO Definition Format)
Create gpo/<name>/README.md documenting all settings with tables (follow existing READMEs as template)
Add a row to the GPO Inventory table in README.md
Commit, push, pull on DC, run:

.\gpo\Apply-GPOBaseline.ps1 -TestOnly    # Shows new GPO as drift
.\gpo\Apply-GPOBaseline.ps1 -GpUpdate    # Creates GPO, applies, links
.\gpo\Apply-GPOBaseline.ps1 -TestOnly    # All [OK]

No changes to Apply-GPOBaseline.ps1 are needed -- auto-discovery handles it.

Adding a Setting to an Existing GPO

Edit the GPO's settings.ps1:
- For security policy: add to the appropriate section hashtable
- For registry settings: add a new hashtable to the RegistrySettings array
Update the GPO's README.md with the new setting
Run Apply-GPOBaseline.ps1 -TestOnly to verify the drift, then apply

Adding a New User

Add a hashtable to ad-objects/users.ps1 with all required keys
Run Apply-ADBaseline.ps1 -- creates the user with a CSPRNG password
Read the password from ad-objects/.credentials/<username>.txt
Securely share with the user, then delete the file

Adding a New Group

Add a hashtable to ad-objects/groups.ps1
If the group has members, they must already be defined in users.ps1
Run Apply-ADBaseline.ps1

Adding a New OU

Add a hashtable to ad-objects/ous.ps1
Run Apply-ADBaseline.ps1

Adding a New Delegation Right

Look up the attribute's schema GUID from Microsoft AD Schema docs
Add the GUID to $Script:ADAttributeGuid in ad-objects/lib/ADHelper.ps1
Use the new ReadWriteProperty:<attrName> token in delegations.ps1
Run Apply-ADBaseline.ps1

For extended rights, add to $Script:ADExtendedRight and create a corresponding token in ConvertTo-DelegationACEs.

password-policies.ps1

Fine-grained password policies (PSOs) override the Default Domain Policy for specific groups. Lower Precedence number = higher priority.

@(
    @{
        Name                        = 'PSO-MasterAdmins'
        Description                 = 'Strict password policy for Tier 0 admin accounts'
        Precedence                  = 10
        MinPasswordLength           = 16
        PasswordHistoryCount        = 48
        MaxPasswordAge              = '30.00:00:00'    # TimeSpan string
        MinPasswordAge              = '1.00:00:00'
        ComplexityEnabled           = $true
        ReversibleEncryptionEnabled = $false
        LockoutThreshold            = 3
        LockoutDuration             = '00:30:00'
        LockoutObservationWindow    = '00:30:00'
        AppliesTo                   = @('MasterAdmins')  # Groups to link
    }
)

Key	Type	Required	Description
`Name`	String	Yes	PSO display name (unique)
`Description`	String	No	PSO description
`Precedence`	Int	Yes	Priority (lower = higher priority)
`MinPasswordLength`	Int	No	Minimum password length
`PasswordHistoryCount`	Int	No	Previous passwords remembered
`MaxPasswordAge`	String	No	Maximum password age (TimeSpan: `'days.hours:minutes:seconds'`)
`MinPasswordAge`	String	No	Minimum password age
`ComplexityEnabled`	Bool	No	Require complexity
`ReversibleEncryptionEnabled`	Bool	No	Store passwords with reversible encryption
`LockoutThreshold`	Int	No	Failed attempts before lockout
`LockoutDuration`	String	No	Lockout duration (TimeSpan)
`LockoutObservationWindow`	String	No	Failed-attempt counter reset window (TimeSpan)
`AppliesTo`	Array	No	Group SamAccountNames to link the PSO to

PSOs are created with ProtectedFromAccidentalDeletion = $true. Group linkage is fully synced -- groups not in AppliesTo are unlinked.

Adding a New Management Group

Edit $ManagementGroups in gpo/Apply-GPOBaseline.ps1:

$ManagementGroups = @('MasterAdmins', 'NewGroup')

The group will automatically get GpoEditDeleteModifySecurity on every managed GPO on the next run.

Adding DSC Validation for a GPO

Create a DSC configuration file in the GPO's directory (e.g., gpo/<name>/MyPolicy.ps1)
Read from the same settings.ps1 to maintain single source of truth:

$settingsPath = Join-Path $PSScriptRoot 'settings.ps1'
$settings = & $settingsPath

Transform values from GptTmpl.inf format to DSC format (e.g., '4,1'.Split(',')[1] to extract the DWORD value)
Add the configuration to Apply-DscBaseline.ps1

Credential Handling

When Apply-ADBaseline.ps1 creates new users:

Password generated using System.Security.Cryptography.RandomNumberGenerator (CSPRNG)
Saved to ad-objects/.credentials/<SamAccountName>.txt
File ACL-locked to the admin who ran the script (inheritance disabled, only current user gets FullControl)
Password never appears in console output, PowerShell transcripts, or logs
Script displays an ACTION REQUIRED banner listing pending handoffs
Admin reads file, securely shares password, deletes file
User must change password on first login (ChangePasswordAtLogon = $true)

Credential files older than 24 hours trigger a WARNING banner on every subsequent run, catching forgotten handoffs.

Encoding and Compatibility

PowerShell Scripts

DC01 runs Windows PowerShell 5.1. Files must be saved as UTF-8 with BOM or use only ASCII characters.

Why: PowerShell 5.1 without a BOM interprets files as Windows-1252 (ANSI). Byte 0x97 (em dash in CP-1252) is treated as a string delimiter, causing cryptic parse errors. Avoid em dashes, smart quotes, and other non-ASCII characters in string literals.

GptTmpl.inf (SYSVOL)

Must be written as UTF-16LE (what .NET calls [System.Text.Encoding]::Unicode). GPOHelper.ps1 handles this automatically with [System.IO.File]::WriteAllText. Writing as UTF-8 or ASCII causes the Group Policy engine to silently ignore the file.

psscripts.ini / scripts.ini (SYSVOL)

Must be written as UTF-16LE, same as GptTmpl.inf. These files register startup/shutdown/logon/logoff scripts with the Group Policy Script CSE.

audit.csv (SYSVOL)

Must be written as UTF-8 with BOM (unlike GptTmpl.inf which is UTF-16LE). This is the Advanced Audit Policy configuration file at Machine\Microsoft\Windows NT\Audit\audit.csv.

GPP XML files (SYSVOL)

Must be written as UTF-8 with BOM. These are the Group Policy Preferences XML files (10 types including ScheduledTasks.xml, Drives.xml, Printers.xml, Shortcuts.xml, Files.xml, NetworkShares.xml, Registry.xml, Groups.xml, etc.) in {Machine|User}\Preferences\<Type>\.

GPO Version Bumping

When writing GptTmpl.inf directly to SYSVOL, the GPO version must be incremented in two places:

The versionNumber attribute on the GPO's AD object
The Version= line in GPT.INI on SYSVOL

The version number encodes user and computer versions in a single 32-bit integer (upper 16 bits = user version, lower 16 bits = computer version). GPOHelper.ps1 handles this automatically.

Gotchas and Edge Cases

ACE Merging in Active Directory

AD automatically merges compatible ACEs on the same security principal. For example, separate ListChildren and ReadProperty ACEs may be merged into a single ACE with both flags set. The delegation code uses bitwise subset checking rather than exact equality:

# Correct: checks if desired rights are a SUBSET of existing rights
($existing.ActiveDirectoryRights -band $DesiredACE.ActiveDirectoryRights) -ne $DesiredACE.ActiveDirectoryRights

# Wrong: fails when AD merges ACEs
$existing.ActiveDirectoryRights -ne $DesiredACE.ActiveDirectoryRights

DSC Parameter Sets

Test-DscConfiguration -Path and -Detailed are in incompatible parameter sets. To get detailed output, use -ReferenceConfiguration pointing to a specific MOF file:

# Correct
Test-DscConfiguration -ReferenceConfiguration "$mofDir\localhost.mof" -Verbose

# Wrong -- will fail
Test-DscConfiguration -Path $mofDir -Detailed

DSC is Test-Only by Design

Apply-DscBaseline.ps1 is a read-only compliance validation tool. It compiles DSC configurations and tests local state against them, but never modifies the system. To fix drift detected by DSC, edit settings.ps1 and run Apply-GPOBaseline.ps1 -- this keeps the GPO as the single source of truth.

Security Filtering Deny

Deny Apply Group Policy is implemented as a raw AD ACL, not via Set-GPPermission. The cmdlet was found to be unreliable for deny entries during development.

Account Lockout Threshold

LockoutBadCount = 0 disables account lockout entirely. This is a common misconfiguration -- always set it to a positive integer (e.g., 5).

SID Resolution

Never hardcode SIDs in settings.ps1. If a group is deleted and recreated, it gets a new SID. Resolve SIDs dynamically:

$masterAdminsSID = (Get-ADGroup -Identity 'MasterAdmins').SID.Value

TestOnly with Non-Existent GPOs

When -TestOnly encounters a GPO that doesn't exist in AD, it reports [DRIFT] and skips to the next GPO with continue. You can't compare settings against a GPO that hasn't been created yet.

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Framework Reference

Architecture

Single Source of Truth

Auto-Discovery vs Fixed Loading

The Ensure/Compare Pattern

Function Pairs

Diff Object Format

Self-Healing Permissions

Overwrite Semantics

Version Bumping

Console Output Conventions

GPO Definition Format

Naming Conventions

settings.ps1 Contract

SecurityPolicy Sections

System Access

Kerberos Policy

Event Audit

Registry Values (Security Options)

Privilege Rights

RegistrySettings Format

SecurityFiltering

Scripts Format

AdvancedAuditPolicy Format

Preferences Format

ScheduledTasks

DriveMaps

EnvironmentVariables

Services

Printers

Shortcuts

Files

NetworkShares

RegistryItems (GPP)

LocalUsersAndGroups (GPP)

Item-Level Targeting (Filters)

RestrictedGroups Format

WMIFilter Format

FirewallRules Format

FirewallProfiles Format

AppLockerPolicy Format

WDACPolicy Format

FolderRedirection Format

GPO Status (Disable Configuration Sections)

Link Order and Enforcement

Backup and Restore

Complete settings.ps1 Example

AD Object Definition Files

ous.ps1

groups.ps1

users.ps1

delegations.ps1

Rights Syntax

Dependency Ordering

AD Objects (Apply-ADBaseline.ps1)

GPO Settings (Apply-GPOBaseline.ps1)

How-To Recipes

Adding a New GPO

Adding a Setting to an Existing GPO

Adding a New User

Adding a New Group

Adding a New OU

Adding a New Delegation Right

password-policies.ps1

Adding a New Management Group

Adding DSC Validation for a GPO

Credential Handling

Encoding and Compatibility

PowerShell Scripts

GptTmpl.inf (SYSVOL)

psscripts.ini / scripts.ini (SYSVOL)

audit.csv (SYSVOL)

GPP XML files (SYSVOL)

GPO Version Bumping

Gotchas and Edge Cases

ACE Merging in Active Directory

DSC Parameter Sets

DSC is Test-Only by Design

Security Filtering Deny

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